German 
English Côte d’Ivoire Hold Off Egypt 72-66 in Crucial World Cup Qualifier
DIAMNIADIO, Senegal — Côte d’Ivoire continued their impressive campaign in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifiers with a hard-fought 72-66 victory over Egypt on Saturday at the Dakar Arena. The Ivorians improved to 6-1 in the qualification campaign, strengthening their position among the teams battling for a place at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.
Côte d’Ivoire started the game on the front foot, taking a 17-13 lead after the opening quarter. Egypt responded strongly in the second period, making the contest increasingly physical and competitive, but the Ivorians managed to maintain a narrow advantage heading into halftime, leading 34-32.The third quarter proved decisive.
After Egypt tied the game at 44-44, Côte d’Ivoire produced their best stretch of basketball, pulling away with a strong offensive run to take a 59-51 advantage heading into the final quarter. Egypt continued to fight and repeatedly tried to reduce the deficit, but Côte d’Ivoire remained composed and protected their lead down the stretch to secure the six-point victory.
David Elie Gassaud led Côte d’Ivoire with 16 points, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and connecting on two of his three attempts from beyond the arc. Pacome Dadiet added 13 points, while Jean Philippe Dally also scored 13 and was perfect from the free-throw line, making all six of his attempts. Nisre Zouzoua contributed nine points, while Solo Diabate and Maxence Dadiet finished with eight points each.
The Ivorians’ depth was particularly important in the contest. Their bench produced 35 points compared with Egypt’s 23, while Côte d’Ivoire also dominated the rebounding battle, collecting 52 rebounds against Egypt’s 40. Their biggest advantage, however, came from the free-throw line, where they converted an outstanding 17 of 19 attempts, compared with Egypt’s 9 of 23.Egypt had four players in double figures, led by Abdelrahman Mohamed with 16 points.
Patrick Gardner and Anas Mahmoud scored 12 points apiece, while the Egyptians struggled to convert consistently from the free-throw line and could not fully capitalize on their superior overall field-goal percentage.
Côte d’Ivoire eventually opened their biggest lead of the game at 17 points, but Egypt refused to surrender. The North Africans mounted a late comeback and cut the deficit, but the Ivorians managed the closing stages effectively to preserve the victory.The result is another important step for Côte d’Ivoire in their pursuit of qualification for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. With five African teams set to qualify, every victory in the second round carries significant importance. For Egypt, the defeat increases the pressure heading into their remaining qualification games.
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